For every maid waiting to be chosen by their masters at the maid service center, every moment is filled with anxiety. They hope to be selected, to earn the high maid salary, or even to upgrade and become the wife or mistress of a Sword Bearer, thereby achieving a life of luxury and superiority.
However, they are also afraid. They fear encountering a master who is extremely ugly, perverted, or old. They are even more afraid of masters with twisted sexual interests, which is not uncommon. Many hopeful maids leave with their masters, only to return months later, bruised and battered, having suffered unimaginable abuse. Some even commit suicide upon their return.
In response, the Sword Bearer Service Center simply compensates these maids with a sum of money and sends them away. Public opinion remains indifferent, as long as human society continues to rely on Sword Bearers for its survival. In this world, ordinary people must endure such treatment until they or their descendants become a Sword Bearer.
In the waiting room of the maid service center, Wen Meiyun stood out prominently. Among a group of teenage girls, the 35-year-old Wen Meiyun seemed out of place, isolated in a corner. Although all the candidate maids were carefully observing this suddenly added perfect beauty, no one took the initiative to speak to Wen Meiyun.
"The maid supervisor must be crazy to let such an old woman in as a maid!"
"This woman is probably not a virgin anymore. Would the Sword Bearer masters even look at her?"
"Ha, not just not a virgin! I bet she even has kids! Tsk, tsk, to come here as a maid at her age, how shameless."
"I bet she bribed the maid supervisor. She hasn't even attended maid school or obtained a maid certificate!"
These noisy comments made Wen Meiyun unable to lift her head, burying her face in her wrists as tears streamed down her cheeks.
"Enough, all of you, shut up! Have you forgotten the Eight Rules and Eight Services of a maid?" A middle-aged maid, about the same age as Wen Meiyun, entered the waiting room and scolded them, immediately silencing the room. The Eight Rules and Eight Services are the golden rules established by the legendary maid supervisor, Saionji Sujin, which every maid must memorize.
However, there are rumors that Saionji Sujin was not human but a female immortal from the gaming world. She later met the Heaven-Shielding Sword Emperor, fell in love, and concealed her identity to become his maid, even training the first batch of maids for the Sword Committee.
Even after the Heaven-Shielding Sword Emperor's death, Saionji Sujin, who had followed him for over thirty years, showed no signs of aging and disappeared without a trace, seemingly confirming that she was an immortal.
Regardless of the legends, Saionji Sujin remains a myth for maids, and the rules she set are iron laws that must be followed by generations of maids. The first iron rule of the Eight Rules and Eight Services is: "Do not speak unless the master asks; obey all the master's commands!"
By extension, a maid should remain silent unless the master speaks. Clearly, the scene where the maids were gossiping about Wen Meiyun violated the maid's code.
"Hmph!" The middle-aged maid coldly snorted. "Now, two noble Sword Bearer masters have arrived outside. It's time to showcase your beautiful faces, perfect figures, and obedient service to your future masters. Form groups of six, line up, and go out in batches to perform on the glass runway. If anyone messes up, they'll have to return to maid school and repeat the year!"
"Yes, Supervisor!" The maids bowed and automatically formed five lines, preparing to be chosen by their masters.
However, Wen Meiyun did not move. She remained huddled in her spot, head buried, trembling.
The strict supervisor noticed this but did not get angry. Instead, she approached Wen Meiyun with a sympathetic look and handed her a cup of tea.
"Here! Drink it, it will make you feel better." Hearing the supervisor's voice, Wen Meiyun revealed her tear-streaked eyes. She managed a weak smile and took the tea, sipping it. "It has luo han guo in it? This cup of water isn't cheap."
"Your tongue is still as sharp!" The supervisor praised, then added, puzzled, "I can't believe you're back here. You've already left this world. Why come back? I was shocked when I saw your application, thinking it was someone with the same name. But it really is you."
"I can't believe I'm back here either!" Wen Meiyun sighed. "Life is like a chess game, and we poor women have no control. If I had any other hope, I wouldn't have come back!"
"Actually, it's not so bad here. The pay is high, and no one can boss me around. I don't want to leave!" the supervisor replied.
"Actually, Sujin, I didn't expect you to still be here! Fifteen years, and you still haven't found your master. You were the second-best graduate in the school, and your looks are no worse than mine. Why stay here so stubbornly?"
"Everyone has their own reasons!" The supervisor, Sujin, clearly didn't want to elaborate on her situation. "Since you're here, you must be determined to find a new master. As a second-hand maid, we don't have to pay you the full salary, but only 80%." Sujin paused, "I wish I could, but that's the rule, and I can't break it."
"Don't worry. Since I've decided to come back, I'm prepared to sell myself again." Wen Meiyun's words were clearly insincere; otherwise, she would have joined the other young maids on the runway to be chosen by the Sword Bearers.
"Suit yourself!" Sujin clearly saw Wen Meiyun's hesitation and indecision but wouldn't force her friend. As the supervisor of Yuzhang City, she had that authority.
The two old friends chatted about the past for a while, and Wen Meiyun visibly relaxed, her mood improving. Just then, Sujin frowned.
"What? How could this happen?"
"What's wrong? What happened?" Wen Meiyun asked curiously.
"What else? Those difficult masters, of course!" Sujin shook her head in frustration. "None of the thirty maids who just went by were chosen by the two Sword Bearers. There were clearly some high-quality maids among them, but they didn't pick any!"
"Well, I'll talk to them and have them wait a few days until new maids graduate from the school. These Sword Bearers are one more difficult than the last." Sujin sighed. Not selecting a satisfactory maid would be considered an incident, and her annual performance review would suffer.
"I'll go!" Suddenly, Wen Meiyun stood up.
"You'll go?" Sujin hesitated, reluctant. "Are you sure? Once you take this step, there's no turning back."
"I can't turn back anymore!" Wen Meiyun shook her head, adopting the standard maid posture, and gracefully left the room.
---
The runway is where Sword Bearers choose their maids. At first glance, it seems no different from the runways of a thousand years ago, with maids in standard maid uniforms walking down the runway to display their charms to the Sword Bearers below.
The only difference is that the sides of the runway are completely enclosed by one-way glass. One-way glass allows only one side to see through. Currently, only the two Sword Bearers outside the runway can see the maids, while the maids inside cannot see anything outside.
At that moment, Gu Han and another Sword Bearer sat in chairs opposite the runway, silently watching the maids walk by. In Gu Han's hand was a small, elegant booklet containing the basic information of each maid. For example, the maid currently walking by:
Name: Huang Shan
Age: 19
Graduation Score: A
Figure: A
Appearance: A
Demeanor: A
Service: A
Handiwork: A
Housework: A
Cooking: C
Education: B
Childcare: B
Management: C
Comment: Her appearance and figure are top-notch, and her handiwork and housework skills are excellent, capable of perfectly managing every detail of the household. However, her cooking and management skills are lacking, making her suitable as a housekeeping maid. Her service skills are strong, especially in oral service...
To be honest, this maid's data was very impressive, especially in appearance, figure, and service, which are the most valued by Sword Bearers, all rated A. Only a few maids achieve the S rating, and many are reserved by Sword Bearers from prominent families before they even graduate, leaving none for the maid service center.
However, Gu Han was not concerned with these aspects. What he cared about was the maid's cooking skills, especially her ability to cook meat. Gu Han couldn't rely on Chanel to satisfy his increasingly picky taste, so hiring a maid skilled in cooking was more reliable.
Unfortunately, out of the thirty maids, not a single one had A-level cooking skills, so Gu Han had not made a choice. But Gu Han didn't know why the Sword Bearer beside him also hadn't chosen. From his lecherous appearance, it was clear he was interested in the maids' figures, appearance, and service, yet he hadn't spoken up for any of them.
Seemingly sensing Gu Han's confusion, the Sword Bearer turned and gave an ugly smile. "I already have a young maid at home, so this time I want a mature one! Oh, and I'm already a Sword of Treasure level Sword Bearer!"
According to the Sword Committee's rules, each time a Sword Bearer's rank increases, they are eligible to receive an additional maid. Officially, this is to better care for new sword maidens, but in reality, it's to improve the Sword Committee's image among Sword Bearers.
"Your Excellencies! All the candidate maids have appeared. Would you like to..." The working maid beside Gu Han paused. "Apologies, but there is one maid left unchosen. Would you like to see her?"
"Do you have her information? No information?" Gu Han flipped through the booklet, which only contained the data of the thirty maids.
"Apologies, this maid just joined, and we haven't prepared her information yet!" Hearing this, Gu Han turned to leave but was stopped by the other Sword Bearer.
"Just one more, it won't hurt to look!" the lecherous Sword Bearer said.
"Alright." Gu Han nodded and sat down, waiting for the last maid to appear.
The lights on the runway suddenly changed to a red-purple hue, and a mature and ripe figure slowly appeared.
"It's her!" This was Gu Han's first reaction.
"She seems to be very good at cooking meat!" This was Gu Han's second reaction.
"It's her! I choose her!" The lecherous Sword Bearer stood up and blurted out.